July 11, 2012: Columbia, Marylandâ€”The National Association of Credit Management (NACM) honored Val Venable, CCE as the 2012 O.D. Glaus* Credit Executive of Distinction during its 116th Annual Credit Congress and Exposition, held in Grapevine, Texas, June 10-13, 2012. The Glaus Award recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to the credit profession, who upholds the tenets of lifelong learning and who is highly esteemed by his or her peers.

Venable is director of credit for Ascend Performance Materials, a global leader in proprietary technologies involving the production of nylon, plastics and synthetic fibers headquartered in Houston, Texas. She was previously the America's credit manager for SABIC Innovative Plastics where she managed a portfolio consisting of over 50,000 accounts. With over 25 years' experience as a credit manager, Venable has worked in the aerospace, steel and metal, and marine industries, both domestic and international.

Venable holds an undergraduate degree and has earned the Six Sigma Vendor Black Belt and Six Sigma Green Belt. She holds a certificate as a Certified Expert Witness and has also completed NACM's Graduate School of Credit and Financial Management (GSCFM). She has been an expert on bankruptcy and bankruptcy reform for the NACM Government Affairs Committee for the past decade and has testified before the U.S. Congressional committee on behalf of NACM. She has also co-chaired an American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) committee on NACM's behalf, as well as served on many creditors' committees on behalf of her employers. Venable served on the NACM National Board of Directors for eight years, serving as chairman in 2001-2002. Additionally, she has served on and chaired many national committees, and has been a presenter and panelist for several NACM Credit Congress sessions, as well as regional conferences and industry day forums. Venable currently serves as a board member with her local affiliate, NACM of South Texas in Houston.

"Val is passionate about credit management and about credit education," said Kathleen Quill, CAE, CBA, president of NACM of South Texas. "During her ABI service, she educated many attorneys on the subtleties of preference payments, creditors' committees and the position of unsecured creditors. She also generously mentors her staff and other credit professionals, as well as donates her time to her local community."

The National Association of Credit Management warmly congratulates Venable on being honored as the O.D. Glaus Credit Executive of Distinction for 2012.

*Former NACM-National Chairman O.D. Glaus Jr., CCE of Nashville, Tennessee was an indefatigable supporter of the credit profession and lifelong learning. He earned the "father of credentialing" moniker for his efforts to establish NACM's professional accreditation program. "If I were going to leave a legacy to the profession, it would be learning is a never-ending processâ€”nobody lives in a cocoonâ€”and communicating with people, learning together and aspiring for excellence are the most important things," he once explained. Upon his death in February 2010, the NACM-National Board of Directors renamed the National Credit Executive of the Year award in his honor.

About the National Association of Credit ManagementNACM, headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, supports more than 15,000 business credit and financial professionals worldwide with premier industry services, tools and information. NACM and its network of affiliated associations are the leading resource for credit and financial management information and education, delivering products and services, which improve the management of business credit and accounts receivable. NACM's collective voice has influenced legislative results concerning commercial business and trade credit to our nation's policy makers for more than 100 years, and continues to play an active part in legislative issues pertaining to business credit and corporate bankruptcy. Its annual Credit Congress is the largest gathering of credit professionals in the world.

About the NACM-National Honors and Awards CommitteeThe NACM-National Honors and Awards Committee bases its awards on a scoring system that rates nominees in nearly 50 areas of professional life, including their participation in NACM activities on the local and national levels, service on local and national industry credit groups, educational attainment in the credit field, continuing education participation, professional accomplishments and dedication to the profession.

NACM has a wealth of member experts in the fields of business-to-business credit and law. Consider using NACM as a resource in the development of your next credit or finance story.